Left Bloc Bloco de Esquerda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | BE |
| Coordinator of the Political Commission | Mariana Mortágua[1] |
| Founders | Francisco Louçã Luís Fazenda Miguel Portas Fernando Rosas |
| Founded | 28 February 1999 (1999-02-28) |
| Merger of | |
| Headquarters | Rua da Palma, 268 1100-394Lisbon |
| Newspaper | Esquerda |
| Youth wing | Jovens do Bloco[2] |
| Membership(2022) | c. 10,000[3] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Left-wing[14] tofar-left[15] |
| European affiliation | |
| European Parliament group | The Left in the European Parliament[16] |
| International affiliation | Fourth International[17] |
| Colours |
|
| Assembly of the Republic | 1 / 230 |
| European Parliament | 1 / 21 |
| Regional Parliaments | 1 / 104 |
| Local government (Mayors) | 0 / 308 |
| Local government (Parishes) | 0 / 3,066 |
| Election symbol | |
.png) | |
| Party flag | |
 | |
| Website | |
| bloco.org | |
TheLeft Bloc (Portuguese:Bloco de Esquerda[ˈblɔkuðɨɨʃˈkeɾðɐ],BE),[18] colloquially shortened asO Bloco, is apolitical party inPortugal. Aleft-wing populist anddemocratic socialist party, it has been described asleft-wing[14] tofar-left.[15] It is currently led byMariana Mortágua.[19]
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The Left Bloc was formed in 1999 by the merger of theMarxistPeople's Democratic Union,TrotskyistRevolutionary Socialist Party, and thedemocratic socialistPolitics XXI.[20] It has had full party status since its founding, yet the constituent groups have maintained their existence as individual political associations, retaining some levels of autonomy in a loose structure. In the1999 legislative election the BE polled at 2%. In2002 this rose to 3%.[citation needed]
In the1999 election BE received 2.4% of the votes leading them to enter theAssembly of the Republic for the first time with 2MPs for the Lisbon constituency. These representatives were Francisco Louçã and Fernando Rosas. In the2005 election BE received 6.5% of the votes winning them 8MPs. In the2006 presidential elections, the Left Bloc's candidate,Francisco Louçã, received 288,224 votes (5.31%).[citation needed]
In the2009 European Parliament election they received 10.73% winning them 3MEPs. They also surpassed theCDU for the first time in an election. At the subsequent2009 national election, the party obtained 9.81% of votes and 16 members of parliament in the 230-seatAssembly of the Republic.
Thefinancial crisis led socialist prime ministerSócrates to agree to abailout memorandum with theEurogroup. In the subsequent2011 snap election, the country saw a massive shift to the right, with the Left Bloc losing nearly half of its previous popular support, obtaining only 5.17% of the vote and 8 members of parliament. This defeat is generally attributed to the partial support certain sections of the party appeared to offer the unpopular Socialist government while the latter pursued anausterity program in response to thefinancial crisis.[citation needed]
The historical merger of ideologies that gave rise to the Portuguese Left Bloc was a process that lasted sixteen years. Its main actors aged and times changed, which led to an awareness of the need for modernization and realism.Francisco Louçã is one of the founders who most insisted on restricting theory to the basichumanistic andethical principles common to partisans and supporters in order to conquer a wider range of constituencies. The game would necessarily be played in the framework ofdemocracy, activeparticipation and defence ofhuman rights. After thirteen years of intensive labor as a leader, Louçã quit the position of party chairman in 2012 arguing that "it is time for renewal" and delegating his functions to a man and a woman.[21]Catarina Martins, 39 years old, andJoão Semedo, a veteran, would be elected co-coordinators of the party on 11 November 2012. However, the renewal process would last for over one year.[22]
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In early 2014, the Left Bloc suffered a split, when elected Left Bloc MEPRui Tavares, who already in 2011 had become anindependent, founded left-ecologistLIVRE party. Left-wing intellectuals who had come together to the Manifesto 3D collective challenged the Left Bloc to converge with LIVRE towards a joined list in the upcoming2014 European election. Two official meetings in late 2014 and early 2015 however failed with the Left Bloc referring to programmatic differences with Tavares.[23] So while the severeausterity programs under prime ministerPassos Coelho did backdrop on the Portuguese political right, the European election in May saw theSocialists and liberalEarth Party as relative winners, whereas the Left Bloc lost more than half of 2009's votes and two of its three mandates. LIVRE received 2.2% but failed to win any mandate.
In the2015 legislative election, the Left Bloc achieved 10.2% of the votes and elected 19 deputies, their best result in legislative elections ever, in what was considered a major upset.[24] On 10 November 2015, Catarina Martins signed an agreement with theSocialist Party that is aimed at identifying convergence issues, while also recognizing their differences.[25] The Bloc supported the minority SocialistCosta Government (2015–2019) with aconfidence and supply agreement. The Socialist Party government would be re-elected in2019, with the Left Bloc returning to opposition. The party voted against the 2022 budget, triggeringan election in January of that year. The Left Bloc would lose 14 seats, reducing them to five, and over half of their popular vote from 2019 — tactical voting for the Socialist Party and the Left Bloc's opposition to the budget were blamed. The Socialist Party would be re-elected with a majority government.
On 14 February 2023, Catarina Martins announced she would leave the Left Bloc's leadership.[26] In the 13th Convention of the Left Bloc, on 27 and 28 May 2023,Mariana Mortágua, one of the party's most well known deputies, was elected as the party coordinator with 83% of the votes.[27]
After theresignation of António Costa, the Left Bloc expected to gain seats and increase their voting share.[28] Despite that, in the2024 legislative election, the Left Bloc achieved a very similar result, keeping their five seats.[29] Following that poor result, and in light ofLuís Montenegro's victory, Mariana Mortágua led negotiations with the remaining parties on the left (PS,PCP,LIVRE andPAN) in order to build an alternative to theincoming right-wing government.[30]
In January 2025, a scandal broke out when it was revealed that, among other party workers laid off after the poor results of the 2022 election, were two breastfeeding mothers, with Mariana Mortágua apologizing for the mistake of the previous leadership.[31] This sparked outrage, with the members of internal opposition, led byPedro Soares, resigning from the political commission.[32]
In the2025 legislative election, the Left Bloc took inspiration from the results ofDie Linke inthat year's German election, nominating the party's founders as heads of lists in strategic constituencies (Francisco Louçã inBraga,Luís Fazenda inAveiro andFernando Rosas inLeiria),[33] usingcanvassing in campaigning for the first time in Portugal[34] and investing insocial media during the campaign.[35] Despite that, the party suffered its worst result ever, winning 2% of the popular vote, its lowest ever, and electing only one member to the Assembly.[36] The party lost more than half of its 2024 voters, falling to 125,808 total votes.[37]
Following the election, Mortágua became the single deputy from the party. In September 2025, in the run up tothat year's local elections, she took part in theFreedom Flotilla, intending to distribute aid to theGaza Strip, where she was detained by theIsraeli government.[38] During this time, she was replaced in parliament by Andreia Galvão.[39] In the 2025 local elections the Left Bloc lost three of it's four city councillors, electing a single one in Lisbon under the PS/L/BE/PAN coalition and lost almost all of it's local representation, despite the many coalitions made between BE, LIVRE and PAN all across the country.[40]
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The Left Bloc rose to prominence "following a successfulanti-austerity campaign and its backing by a growing popular social movement."[41] It has been described as "Portugal's biggest supporter offeminist,gay rights andanti-racist legislation" and been associated with theNew Left.[42] It occupies a flexible and moderate position to the left of theSocialist Party (PS).[43] In comparison to thePortuguese Communist Party, the Left Bloc has been described as "moresocially libertarian".[42] At present, together with the PS, Left Bloc aims at "building a stable, long-lasting and reliable majority at the Parliament, in order to support the formation and subsequent action of a government committed to the change demanded through the ballot box". This purpose foreshadows changes taking place not only in theIberian Peninsula but as in all European territory.[44][45][46][47] The party wants a stronger welfare state, rent controls, and to tax the wealthy and big companies.[48] It also wants to use Portugal's budget surplus to increase investment in healthcare and education, lower tax on salaries and energy, and restrict the number of Airbnb's in overburdened areas.[49]
The Bloc has proposed a number of important laws oncivil rights and guarantees, including the protection of citizens from racist, xenophobic, and homophobic discrimination, support forsame-sex marriage, laws for the protection of workers and anti-bullfighting legislation. These included Portugal's first law ondomestic violence, which was then passed in parliament with the support of thePortuguese Communist Party and theSocialist Party.[42]
The Left Bloc has called for the legalisation ofcannabis in Portugal.[50] The party attempted to pass legislation in Parliament regarding cannabis law reform in Portugal in 2013 and 2015, both of which were rejected by the then rulingcentre-right coalition government.[51]
In terms of economics the party advocates "greaterstate intervention in the economy in order to reduce inequalities", such as rises to theminimum wage.[52][53] It has also put forward "many legislative proposals defending salaries,pensions and thewelfare state".[54] The party has been described asanti-capitalist.[10][11] In September 2019, the party called for the minimum monthly wage to be raised to€650 for both thepublic andprivate sectors in January 2020.[55]
It is part of theEuropean Left Alliance for the People and the Planet; a pan-European party that supports an alternative to capitalism.[56]
The party has close relations with other Europeanleft-wing parties, such as SpanishPodemos,La France Insoumise, SwedishLeft Party and GermanDie Linke.[57][58]
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Vote share in the Portuguese legislative elections
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Francisco Louçã | 132,333 | 2.4 (#5) | 2 / 230 | Opposition | |
| 2002 | 153,877 | 2.7 (#5) | 3 / 230 |  1 | Opposition | |
| 2005 | 364,971 | 6.4 (#5) | 8 / 230 | 5 | Opposition | |
| 2009 | 557,306 | 9.8 (#4) | 16 / 230 | 8 | Opposition | |
| 2011 | 288,923 | 5.2 (#5) | 8 / 230 |  8 | Opposition | |
| 2015 | Catarina Martins | 550,945 | 10.2 (#3) | 19 / 230 | 11 | Opposition(2015) |
| Confidence and supply(2015–2019) | ||||||
| 2019 | 498,549 | 9.5 (#3) | 19 / 230 |  0 | Opposition | |
| 2022 | 244,603 | 4.4 (#5) | 5 / 230 | 14 | Opposition | |
| 2024 | Mariana Mortágua | 282,314 | 4.4 (#5) | 5 / 230 | 0 | Opposition |
| 2025 | 125,808 | 2.0 (#7) | 1 / 230 | 4 | Opposition |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Fernando Rosas | 129,840 | 3.0 (#4) | Lost N |
| 2006 | Francisco Louçã | 292,198 | 5.3 (#5) | LostN |
| 2011 | Manuel Alegre[a] | 831,838 | 19.7 (#2) | LostN |
| 2016 | Marisa Matias | 469,814 | 10.1 (#3) | LostN |
| 2021 | 165,127 | 4.0 (#5) | LostN |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Miguel Portas | 61,920 | 1.8 (#5) | 0 / 25 | – | |
| 2004 | 167,313 | 4.9 (#4) | 1 / 24 | 1 | GUE/NGL | |
| 2009 | 382,667 | 10.7 (#3) | 3 / 22 | 2 | ||
| 2014 | Marisa Matias | 149,764 | 4.6 (#5) | 1 / 21 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 325,093 | 9.8 (#3) | 2 / 21 | 1 | The Left | |
| 2024 | Catarina Martins | 168,107 | 4.3 (#5) | 1 / 21 | 1 |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Mayors | +/- | Councillors | +/- | Assemblies | +/- | Parishes | +/- | Parish Assemblies | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Francisco Louçã | 61,789 | 1.2 (#6) | 1 / 308 | 6 / 2,044 | 28 / 6,876 | 6 / 4,252 | 46 / 34,569 | |||||
| 2005 | 158,953 | 3.0 (#5) | 1 / 308 | 0 | 7 / 2,046 | 1 | 114 / 6,885 | 86 | 3 / 4,260 | 3 | 229 / 34,498 | 183 | |
| 2009 | 164,396 | 3.0 (#6) | 1 / 308 | 0 | 9 / 2,078 | 2 | 139 / 6,946 | 25 | 4 / 4,260 | 1 | 235 / 34,672 | 6 | |
| 2013 | João Semedo Catarina Martins | 120,982 | 2.4 (#6) | 0 / 308 | 1 | 8 / 2,086 | 1 | 100 / 6,487 | 39 | 0 / 3,085 | 4 | 138 / 27,167 | 138 |
| 2017 | Catarina Martins | 170,040 | 3.3 (#5) | 0 / 308 | 0 | 12 / 2,074 | 4 | 125 / 6,461 | 25 | 0 / 3,092 | 0 | 213 / 27,019 | 75 |
| 2021 | 137,560 | 2.8 (#6) | 0 / 308 | 0 | 4 / 2,064 | 8 | 94 / 6,448 | 31 | 0 / 3,066 | 0 | 162 / 26,797 | 51 | |
| 2025 | Mariana Mortágua | 30,629 | 0.6 (#8) | 0 / 308 | 0 | 0 / 2,058 | 4 | 6 / 6,463 | 88 | 0 / 3,216 | 0 | 2 / 27,973 | 160 |
| Region | Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azores | 2024 | António Lima | 2,936 | 2.5 (#4) | 1 / 57 | 1 | Opposition |
| Madeira | 2025 | Roberto Almada | 1,586 | 1.1 (#9) | 0 / 47 | 0 | No seats |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,387 | 1.4 (#5) | 0 / 52 | No seats | ||
| 2004 | 1,022 | 1.0 (#5) | 0 / 52 | 0 | No seats | |
| 2008 | Zuraida Soares | 2,972 | 3.3 (#4) | 2 / 57 | 2 | Opposition |
| 2012 | 2,428 | 2.3 (#4) | 1 / 57 | 1 | Opposition | |
| 2016 | 3,414 | 3.7 (#4) | 2 / 57 | 1 | Opposition | |
| 2020 | António Lima | 3,962 | 3.8 (#5) | 2 / 57 | 0 | Opposition |
| 2024 | 2,936 | 2.5 (#4) | 1 / 57 | 1 | Opposition |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Paulo Martinho Martins | 5,035 | 3.7 (#5) | 1 / 68 | Opposition | |
| 2007 | 4,186 | 3.0 (#5) | 1 / 47 | 0 | Opposition | |
| 2011 | Roberto Almada | 2,512 | 1.7 (#9) | 0 / 47 | 1 | No seats |
| 2015 | 4,849 | 3.8 (#6) | 2 / 47 | 2 | Opposition | |
| 2019 | Paulino Ascensão | 2,489 | 1.7 (#6) | 0 / 47 | 2 | No seats |
| 2023 | Roberto Almada | 3,035 | 2.2 (#8) | 1 / 47 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2024 | 1,912 | 1.4 (#9) | 0 / 47 | 1 | No seats | |
| 2025 | 1,586 | 1.1 (#9) | 0 / 47 | 0 | No seats |
| Name | Portrait | Constituency | Start | End | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Louçã (b. 1956) | _(4026598621).jpg) | Lisbon | 24 March 1999 | 10 November 2012 | António Guterres(1995–2002) | |
| Durão Barroso(2002–2004) | |||||||
| Santana Lopes(2004–2005) | |||||||
| José Sócrates(2005–2011) | |||||||
| Passos Coelho(2011–2015) | |||||||
| 2 | João Semedo (1951–2018) | .jpg) | Porto | 10 November 2012 | 30 November 2014 | ||
| Catarina Martins (b. 1973) | .png) | Porto | 28 May 2023 | ||||
| 3 | António Costa(2015–2024) | ||||||
| 4 | Mariana Mortágua (b. 1986) | .png) | Lisbon | 28 May 2023 | Incumbent | ||
| Luís Montenegro(2024–present) | |||||||
The alliance between Mr Costa's Socialist Party (PS) and further left groups such as the anti-establishment Left Bloc was considered tenuous when it was forged in 2015.
Deux autres partis de " gauche " étaient en lice pour les élections. Premièrement, le Bloc de gauche, considéré par le journal The Guardian comme étant une version portugaise du parti politique grec anti-austérité Syriza, a récolté 10,2% des suffrages (8).
BE, le Bloc des gauches (Bloco da Esquerda) : formation regroupant l'extrême gauche portugaise depuis 1999. Influente dans les milieux intellectuels de la capitale, BE a obtenu 2,7% des voix et 3 députés en mars 2002 (soit un siège de plus qu'en 1999). BE comprend notamment l'Union démocratique populaire (União Democràtica Popular), le Parti socialiste révolutionnaire (Partido Socialista Revolucionario ) et Politica XXI..
The Left Bloc is the more socially libertarian, and bohemian of Portugal's twofar-left structures.
The unlikely alliance of center-left Socialists and twofar-left parties has overcome deep scepticism since it was formed in 2015, achieving stability and maintaining economic recovery at a time of political uncertainty across Europe.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
(in Portuguese)| Parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic (230) |
|
|---|---|
| Legislative Assembly of the Azores Autonomous Region (57) |
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| Legislative Assembly of the Madeira Autonomous Region (47) |
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| European Parliament (21) | |
| Non-parliamentary parties | |
European Parliament group:The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL | |
| Member parties | |
| See also | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
